Next Helix update speculation (sorry!)

longshins · August 2023

I hear there’s going to be an 1176? I spent most of today today rebuilding my presets with separate dual cabs blocks instead of the all in one amp and cab thing, I really do think the stomp is the best piece of gear I’ve ever bought, when I first got it I treated it a bit like the M5, like a get out of jail thing if I needed a weird effect or something but nowadays it’s paired with a morningstar MC6 plus expression pedal and is all I use.

jellybelly · August 2023

Ha I'll bite! No idea what they're working on but this is the stuff I would like to see... I'm certain some of it will be niche though!! There's some key effects that need addressing I think. I'm a HX FX user and former LT owner, for context.

Amp-wise, I think the lack of brown-face Fenders needs addressing. Maybe some modern classics like a Mesa Tremoverb or Orange AD too.

Effects - I think there's a few they could consider that are either classic or unique...
Crowther Hotcake
Nobels ODR-1/ODR-S
Marshall Guvnor/Shredmaster
Audio Kitchen The Big Trees Preamp
Boss BD-2 Blues Driver
Roland BeeBaa Fuzz
Zvex Octane fuzz
MXR Blue Box
DOD 440 envelope filter
MXR Phase 45/Phase 100
Reverse Reverb
Gated Reverb
Poly auto swell effect (like the modern EHX Attack Decay)
ZVex LoFi Loop Junky (Lo Fi looper)

Plus some additions/fixes:
- better auto swell. Zoom multistomp is way better!
- clipping options for the new RAT model
- Custom names for favourites
- ability to switch from a stereo path as standard to dual mono inputs or outputs. You can sort of do this at present by using a mixers with 100/0 or 0/100 values but would be easier to treat the two as separate if that's what you want. You need to 'waste' a block on the second input and use up one of your loops for the HX FX at present to do this too. Not sure about full fat Helix though.

Not that I think it's particularly lacking as is - continues to impress.

guitarmangler · August 2023

What it’s missing is a tc electronics line booster/distortion or fortin 33 (same thing, basically). As every downtuned metal band uses that as boost. Maybe some of the xotic pedals, ac, rc and bb.Plus, a flanger that actually sounds like a flanger ! Thankyouplease!

fretmeister · August 2023

The beta testers all sign NDA’s so nobody knows.

Also, it’s really time for some bass updates for a change.

longshins · August 2023

guitarmangler said:

What it’s missing is a tc electronics line booster/distortion or fortin 33 (same thing, basically). As every downtuned metal band uses that as boost. Maybe some of the xotic pedals, ac, rc and bb.Plus, a flanger that actually sounds like a flanger ! Thankyouplease!

Don’t you like the horizon drive? Totally agree on the flanger thing, I’ve spent ages trying to get them sounding right but can’t.

guitarmangler · August 2023

longshins said:

guitarmangler said:

What it’s missing is a tc electronics line booster/distortion or fortin 33 (same thing, basically). As every downtuned metal band uses that as boost. Maybe some of the xotic pedals, ac, rc and bb.Plus, a flanger that actually sounds like a flanger ! Thankyouplease!

Don’t you like the horizon drive? Totally agree on the flanger thing, I’ve spent ages trying to get them sounding right but can’t.

Yeah, but it’s not the same. The horizon drive sounds a little too surgical. I’m trying to get a more Allan Holdsworth sound than just cutting all the bass and tuning my guitar to drop E. Tho, that is fun !

Bod · August 2023

@Digital_Igloo c'mon - give us something to speculate wildly over

jellybelly · August 2023

jellybelly said:

Ha I'll bite! No idea what they're working on but this is the stuff I would like to see... I'm certain some of it will be niche though!! There's some key effects that need addressing I think. I'm a HX FX user and former LT owner, for context.

Amp-wise, I think the lack of brown-face Fenders needs addressing. Maybe some modern classics like a Mesa Tremoverb or Orange AD too.

Effects - I think there's a few they could consider that are either classic or unique...
Crowther Hotcake
Nobels ODR-1/ODR-S
Marshall Guvnor/Shredmaster
Audio Kitchen The Big Trees Preamp
Boss BD-2 Blues Driver
Roland BeeBaa Fuzz
Zvex Octane fuzz
MXR Blue Box
DOD 440 envelope filter
MXR Phase 45/Phase 100
Reverse Reverb
Gated Reverb
Poly auto swell effect (like the modern EHX Attack Decay)
ZVex LoFi Loop Junky (Lo Fi looper)

Plus some additions/fixes:
- better auto swell. Zoom multistomp is way better!
- clipping options for the new RAT model
- Custom names for favourites
- ability to switch from a stereo path as standard to dual mono inputs or outputs. You can sort of do this at present by using a mixers with 100/0 or 0/100 values but would be easier to treat the two as separate if that's what you want. You need to 'waste' a block on the second input and use up one of your loops for the HX FX at present to do this too. Not sure about full fat Helix though.

Not that I think it's particularly lacking as is - continues to impress.

Forgot one! Original Tech21 Sansamp with the little switches. The sound of Nirvana's In Utero and a potential di preamp thing in the same vein as the bass one they have.

Incidentally the bass di they have already is great and I have used it extensively with the poly Capo and crossover filter to mimic the boss OC-5's clever 'lowest note' mode and plug it direct to the board for bass tones.

Sporky · August 2023

Yamaha UD Stomp.

jellybelly · August 2023

Sporky said:

Yamaha UD Stomp.

Could you imagine the number of pages for the menu? Might something similar not be possible with some multi tap delays and parallel paths? I'm not all that knowledgeable about the UD so might be underestimating what it does

Grangousier · August 2023

It would be interesting if they did stuff like the Hudson Broadcast or the Benson Preamp. It's also quite impressive that we can semi-realistically imagine such things about ten-year-old tech.

Sporky · August 2023

Similar, yes, but the UD Stomp was its own thing. I think you'd need nine pages. One for each individual delay, and one for the routing.

You could do a through-zero flanger and two multitap delays at the same time (for example).

fretmeister · August 2023

I want some bass amps…

Mark Bass AG1000
Ashdown ABM Evo 4 (or the new 5)

That would keep me happy.

Grumpyrocker · August 2023

I'd like some high gain pedals, which aren't very well represented.

guitarmangler · August 2023

Sporky said:

Yamaha UD Stomp.

Yes please! I’ve got close to the sound using several multi tap delays. If it had more processing power, you could have just one of the delays modelled, and the routing, then apply it 8 times.

Tho saying that, the magic stomp has to be 20 years old now, surely they could just stick all those fx and modelling straight in? The flanger in that sounds really good.

Sporky · August 2023

I honestly think the UD probably needs less power than some of the reverbs, or the IRs.

jellybelly · August 2023

Grumpyrocker said:

I'd like some high gain pedals, which aren't very well represented.

Out of interest what would you suggest? Tone Freak Severe? Suhr Riot? Or am I thinking too 'rock'? I'd always got the impression the really heavy stuff relied on specialised amps (Mesa, Diesel etc) rather than pedals, which the Helix has loads of.

If you haven't tried it, I'd suggest the Legendary Drive is pretty face-meltingly heavy - can dial in some really great heavy settings or replicate other stuff with its EQ - really flexible

normula1 · August 2023

I'd love it if they uplifted command centre to have multiple midi messages per footswitch, the ability to have buttons that select secondary snapshots to be colour coded, to allow footswitches to control different fx in a preset per snapshot and to be able to label a given footswitch per snapshot.
Once they've done all that, then crack on with more modelling

Grumpyrocker · August 2023

jellybelly said:

Grumpyrocker said:

I'd like some high gain pedals, which aren't very well represented.

Out of interest what would you suggest? Tone Freak Severe? Suhr Riot? Or am I thinking too 'rock'? I'd always got the impression the really heavy stuff relied on specialised amps (Mesa, Diesel etc) rather than pedals, which the Helix has loads of.

If you haven't tried it, I'd suggest the Legendary Drive is pretty face-meltingly heavy - can dial in some really great heavy settings or replicate other stuff with its EQ - really flexible

Thinking things like Empress Heavy and the like. I have no trouble getting high gain tones. It's just odd this segment of the pedal market is largely ignored in favour of pentatonic dad noodling overdrives.

longshins · August 2023

Grumpyrocker said:

jellybelly said:

Grumpyrocker said:

I'd like some high gain pedals, which aren't very well represented.

Out of interest what would you suggest? Tone Freak Severe? Suhr Riot? Or am I thinking too 'rock'? I'd always got the impression the really heavy stuff relied on specialised amps (Mesa, Diesel etc) rather than pedals, which the Helix has loads of.

If you haven't tried it, I'd suggest the Legendary Drive is pretty face-meltingly heavy - can dial in some really great heavy settings or replicate other stuff with its EQ - really flexible

Thinking things like Empress Heavy and the like. I have no trouble getting high gain tones. It's just odd this segment of the pedal market is largely ignored in favour of pentatonic dad noodling overdrives.

I always thought they left out stuff like that as to differentiate between the stomp and the hxfx. Something like the Rev G3 into an ir on the hxfx might stop potential stomp sales? I dunno just a guess as I think it’s weird too.

jellybelly · August 2023

Yeah no amps in the HX FX other than, arguably, the ZeroBassDI which is a model of a Tech21 Sansamp bass. Have used this to great effect live. IRs are present though. A simple DI box and a bassist could happily go direct.

Hoping as per my post, the they do another SansAmp for guitar...

Wazmeister · August 2023

I think the last (?) update was very good… the Timmy is a thing of beauty.

I’ve been revisiting the HX Stomp; still impressive !

UnclePsychosis · August 2023

@jellybelly ;

Interesting. I'd always dismissed the HXFX because of the lack of amp sims but the Sansamp Bass is the only one I'd actually need...

jeztone2 · August 2023

Grumpyrocker said:

I'd like some high gain pedals, which aren't very well represented.

Yes. The BE-OD, Suhr Riot Reloaded & Goosoniqueworx 7thvn/ Kult would all be great choices.

Heartfeltdawn · September 2023

If Line 6 could replicate the Fractal Megatap, that would be an amazing thing. If Fractal released the Megatap in a single pedal format, I would be all over that.

Sporky · September 2023

I'd like freely assignable envelope control and LFOs.

Roland · September 2023

fretmeister said:

… it’s really time for some bass updates for a change.

Ha! They’ve been saying that in Fractal land for years.

PolarityMan · September 2023

Proper whammy. A delay that works better.

stickyfiddle · September 2023

I’d like a talk box where you could assign different vowels to an exp pedal and it would sweep between them directly without going via the others, E-O but no I in the middle.

Otherwise I honestly can’t think of much it’s missing that wouldn’t be obviously ridiculous.

The HX Stomp remains one of my best ever bits of gear

willo · September 2023

A metronome
An input output jack on the side
Global buttons for noise gate and EQ
More pre-amp pedals (Echoplex, the Roland Chorus one etc)
Ability to rename the amps and pedals like it's Pro Evo
Level meter...please please please make it easier to get consistent levels across patches
Simplify the idiosyncratic model-specific controls, or have an option to do this
Expandable memory slot for the looper

Anyway they started sourcing feedback from users about six months ago. A new Helix is probably 3 or 4 years away.

jellybelly · September 2023

willo said:

A metronome
An input output jack on the side
Global buttons for noise gate and EQ
More pre-amp pedals (Echoplex, the Roland Chorus one etc)
Ability to rename the amps and pedals like it's Pro Evo
Level meter...please please please make it easier to get consistent levels across patches
Simplify the idiosyncratic model-specific controls, or have an option to do this
Expandable memory slot for the looper

Anyway they started sourcing feedback from users about six months ago. A new Helix is probably 3 or 4 years away.

I think the thread is referring to software updates. But interesting to think something 'better' might be in the works.

What's your beef with the delay?

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Next Helix update speculation (sorry!)

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